Category Archives: Twists and Turns

Mourning

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Driving to the closest Wal-Mart this evening gave me plenty of time to think. There’s a funeral tomorrow, and my heart is so heavy. I hurt for the family, especially the children. I realized as I drove that I have been grieving in increments—when I have some alone time, I ponder the unfairness of a family losing a husband and father in the prime of his life. When I am around others, I put my feelings in a box and shove it to the back of my mind.

People grieve in many different ways. Some openly cry and seek the company of others. I have always done my crying in private. I am a control freak, so I feel weak when others see me upset. I do my best to handle my business when I’m alone. Keep in mind that just because someone isn’t being demonstrative, that doesn’t indicate that the person lacks emotion.

Another Storm!

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A storm warning went out, so this time I decided to go looking for trouble. My daughter didn’t want to head out storm chasing, so I called Stacey to see if Gen, Bela’s best friend, wanted to go. No sooner than the words left Stacey’s mouth, Gen was moving! I picked her up, and away we went!

This was a fast-moving storm, but we did get hail in the half hour we were out. The clouds were amazing.

Gen always tilts the camera....

Gen always tilts the camera….

I took this one.

I took this one.

Gen took this pic of the rainbow that followed the hail and rain.

Gen took this pic of the rainbow that followed the hail and rain.

Life and Beyond in a Small Town

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One thing we know about life is that nobody gets out alive. Our rural community has been rocked by deaths in the last few months. Two awesome family men are being mourned. The community has been completely stunned by the losses.

The main question we have asked is, “Why?” We may never understand. I hate that feeling of helplessness that follows the news. How can we help the grieving family members? All that comes to mind is pray and “help them cry.”

The scariest part is that both men were seemingly healthy fellows. That just goes to show when death comes for us, we can’t say, “Can you come back later? I have some things to wrap up first.” Mourning our losses has brought us all closer to our own feelings about mortality. We have been forcefully reminded that when it’s our time to go, nothing can stop it. I plan to make every day count.

#Ricebucketchallenge

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I accidently found an idea I super like: instead of the ice bucket challenge, it’s something called the RICE BUCKET challenge. Don’t get me wrong; I’m all for having a good time and raising awareness, but the idea of dumping a bucket of ice water on myself holds little appeal. According to the news, the ice bucket challenge has been responsible for increased donations to fund research and treat ALS. That’s certainly a wonderful thing.

The thing I never thought about was how obscene wasting water would seem to people in countries without a steady supply of clean drinking water or suffering from drought. With so many hungry people in India and many other places in the world, another idea was born—that of the rice bucket challenge.

Visit the links below to find out all the details. I’m sure you’ll like the idea as much as I do!

http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandsoda/2014/08/27/343498667/rice-bucket-challenge-put-rice-in-bucket-do-not-pour-over-head

https://www.facebook.com/ricebucketchallenge

The Chicken Chick

State Fair

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Our county has a wonderful 4H leader, and I appreciate all the work Sue does on behalf of our children. She helps the kids learn new things, schedules workshops to create projects for fair, and transports projects to state fair and sets them up. She is an amazing lady. She even took this picture for me since I couldn’t get to state fair myself! Thank you, Sue, for all you do for us.

Thanks to Sue, I have a picture of Bela's project!

Thanks to Sue, I have a picture of Bela’s project!

A Lofty Goal?

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I spent all summer stressing over finishing classes, work and all the other daily responsibilities like cooking dinner and having meaningful conversations with my teen and more. I tried hard to fit in the important things, but too often I got sidetracked by tiny details that don’t really matter in the long run.

Your opinion of what matters might very well be different from mine, but I have a goal—I have started writing a book, and I want to finish it. I’m only 13 pages into it, but all writers begin with a sentence, right?

I am ashamed to say that I didn’t add one word to my rough draft over the summer. Since my work and study schedules are lighter this year, I think it’s time to remedy that. Maybe I will have a completed manuscript by the end of the school year.

Walking Taco

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I meant to mention this sooner, but (being me) I forgot. Sometimes I have the attention span of a gnat.

When I was at the Hyannis rodeo, I needed a snack, so I went to the concession stand to see what $3 could buy me. I finally settled on what was being called a walking taco. My first question was if it had onions. The answer was no, so I ordered one. Hamburger meat, sour cream (if requested), Fritos and cheese were served in half a Fritos snack bag. I wish I had grabbed a spoon instead of a fork, but I managed pretty well. Personally, I would have called it a travelling taco just for the alliteration, but whatever the name, it was awesome!

Walking taco....

Walking taco….